By Don Rush

The 2022-23 Oxford Varsity Boys Tennis team is coached for the second year in a row by Gayle Bailey, who has coached the girls team since 2013. There are 14 members of the varsity team, with four seniors returning.

“Last year was a rebuilding year,” Coach Bailey said. “And, we are looking to take this year head-on.”

This year’s seniors are Drew Ehardt, Michael Duong, Austin Reed and Blayne Schafer. Both Ehardt and Reed are team captains along with Junior Niko Hatzigeorgiou.

“(In doubles) Austin and Niko work together well. They have played the game for a couple of years now and they understand the game. They can see the holes and they really respect each other. They should have a really strong showing in the league this year,” Bailey said. “Drew is my Number One for singles. He is a great leader. He has the hardest job on the team, because each game he is going up against the best player of any team. He’s very competitive, but win or lose, he is always gracious.”

The varsity squad roster is comprised of:

Singles: Ehardt, sophomore Tommy Bremer, Duong and sophomore Bryce Blizzard.

For Doubles, Bailey has these players paired up: Reed and Hatzigeorgiou; juniors Brayden Travis and Charlie Schwab; junior David Burr and sophomore Jared Roemmich; junior Luke Denning and senior Blayne Schafer; and sophomores Aiden Burkhardt and Grant Ingle.

This week, the Wildcats were slated to travel to Avondale on Tuesday and to Southfield on Thursday.

On Sept. 20, Sept 22 and Sept. 26 they host Avondale, Farmington and Almont.

They play in the Oakland Athletic Association Tournament on Sept. 28. The following two games are at home against Armada (Sept. 29) and Lake Fenton (Oct. 3.)

Matches start at 4:30 p.m.